Impi
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An Impi was a Zulu warband. The first impis were formed by Zulu king Shaka, who was then only the exiled illegitimate son of king Senzangakona, but already showing much prowess as a general in the army of Mthethwa king Dingiswayo in the Mthethwa-Ndwandwe war in the early 1810s.
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Youth
Impi warriors were raised from the age as low as of six, joining the army as udibi porters at first, being enrolled into same-age groups (intanga). Until they were buta'd, Zulu boys accompanied their fathers and brothers on campaign as servants. Eventually, they would go to the nearest ikhanda to kleza (which literally means to drink directly from the udder), at which point they would become inkwebane, or cadets. They would spend their time training until they were formally enlisted by the king. They would challenge each other to stick fights, which had to be accepted on pain of dishonor.
Enlistment
On being formally formed into regiments (ibutho) after their 20th birthday, they would build their ikhanda (often referred to as a 'homestead', and it was basically a stockaded group of huts surrounding a corral for cattle) which would be where they would come when mustered for active service. They would have to come for this muster until they married, which was a privilege the king bestowed. They were trained to outrun a horse, cover about 80 km (50 miles) a day in foot and hide and stalk in the underbrush. They swore loyalty to the king of the Zulu tribe.
Every impi was a thousand warriors strong and originally contained warriors from the same intanga (this practice later changed as casualties suffered by the regiments made reinforcements necessary). Each impi had its own colors in colored shields, headdress and other ornaments. An impi was also accompanied by udibi, young boys who carried implements like cooking pots and sleeping mats and on occasion acted as scouts. Shaka insisted that troops wear no shoes—they could run faster and were not disabled by the loss of their sandals. Training for this was to stamp thorns into the ground with bare feet.
Service
In wartime, the Zulu soldier went into battle minimally dressed, painting their upper bodies and faces with chalk and red ochre, despite the popular conception of elaborately panoplied warriors. As a weapon they carried the iklwa stabbing spear (losing one could result in execution), cudgels (knobkerrie). They also carried shields, which were property of the king. The iklwa with its long (c. 25cm) tip was an invention of Shaka that superceded the older thrown assegai. It could theoretically be used both in melee and as a thrown weapon, but warriors were forbidden from throwing it, which would disarm them and give their opponents something to throw back. At the time of Zulu War, king Cetshwayo also equipped them with muskets and they also used rifles captured from the British.
Tactics
Shaka used impis with a modified circling tactic - impondo zankoma ('bull's horns'); Impi troops would divide into four groups. The main group (isifuba, 'chest') would face the enemy, two wings (izimpondo, 'horns') on two sides of the enemy and then force them towards the center. The fourth party (usually the veterans) remained as a reserve. They travelled light, and carried their own food or foraged along the way. The image of the Zulu warrior who could "run fifty miles and fight a battle at the end of it" is not at all true, but the barefooted Zulu warrior was swift, and could cover perhaps 25 miles a day. Thus tactics against their enemies (other African tribes, the Boers, and the British) were surprise and overwhelming force, rather than siege or long campaigns. During the Anglo-Zulu War, British commander Lord Chelmsford complained that they did not 'fight fair'.
History
Against the Ndwandwe, numerically superior northern neighbours who invaded Zulu territory to suppress them, Shaka played hide-and-seek games, while laying waste to the land to prevent foraging. Shaka waited and only attacked when the Ndwandwe were divided or exhausted.
Impi were also famous for their custom 'washing of spears (in their enemy's blood)' in which they cut open the belly of killed (and allegedly sometimes still living) opponents. Supposedly this meant the release of the opponent's spirit so it could not haunt the killer.
Complex ceremonies surrounded battles, and great honours were bestowed upon the courageous in battle. Cowards were dishonoured and occasionally executed. Wounds were crudely serviced, but the Zulus had an unusual rate of recovery. Overall, the Zulu army was versatile, but no match for bayonets and Maxim machine guns.
Trivia
Rudyard Kipling refers to them in his poem "Fuzzy-Wuzzy":
- We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills,
- The Boers knocked us silly at a mile,
- The Burman give us Irriwady Chills,
- 'An a Zulu Impi dished us up in style.
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